Intellesctuals Corner

By Nisma Chauhan


  Never judge a book by its cover – a tale of an overseas Pakistan

Usually, my life moves on a moderate speed. Same routine goes on day by day. I go to university in hope of gaining knowledge but end up coming home with nil. Sleep. Watch TV and THINK, in fact a lot of thinking takes most of my hours in that 24hour cycle. If someone tells me 2+2=4, I have to know how & why? Simply because ‘curiosity kills!’

I have always had this impression about Pakistanis, where in no matter what situation they are in, they always tend to stand up for their country. They whine yet never think less of themselves. However, lately I have started to think adverse.

The last two years of my life have given me bitter sweet experiences. They have also made me think things through in a different perspective.

I have had met Pakistanis who think Pakistan can never change nor do any good. I know such people are not hard to find, but the reason why it amazes me is the fact that they have been born and brought up in Pakistan. The country which gives them their income, the one which provides them shelter and the one which gives them their identity!

Yet, it holds no credit in their life.

They whine about how our society adapts the western culture yet judge a person solely on the fluency of their spoken and written English. They talk about the youth making a difference yet keep discouraging them and state examples of the west to motivate them to become better. (From here on I am going to refer to such people as The Whiners for better understanding.)

Don’t get me wrong! I am not an anti-western, anti-English person. In fact I myself feel comfortable in a T and jeans. I can’t even properly pronounce words in Urdu. But that’s not the point I am trying to make.

The problem is The Whiners do not understand that the person they may be judging on the way they talk in English might just be a PhD in Urdu. Maybe being able to talk in proper English was never his/her priority.  Or the person they were just discouraging can be the next Shahid Afridi. Someone who made Pakistan proud, in short made a difference!

Eventually in the end, The Whiners are left with nothing except another bunch of people they can judge and discourage. And all I do is pity! Pity a few friends of mine who think the same, pity myself for being taught by professors who think the same and pity my country for having to hold such individuals.